Reflecting on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – What We Have Gained and Where We Are Going
By North Carolina State Senator Todd Johnson
August 10 marked the two-year anniversary of the Senate’s passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). While you may have missed the anniversary, chances are you’ve already felt the impact of this landmark legislation, especially if you’re living in North Carolina. As Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) noted in a statement at the time of its passage, the bill was a big win for North Carolinians. Thanks to his work alongside other members of Congress who saw our nation’s infrastructure was outdated and crumbling, the BIL was passed and now the Tar Heel state’s infrastructure and economy is reaping its benefits.
When you read the fine print of the law and see what project investments were allocated to our state, you can see just how badly our infrastructure needed some attention. The package included $7.2 billion for North Carolina roads and highways over the next five years, $911 million for public transportation, $457 million for bridge construction, as well as funding to ensure clean drinking water and the rollout of broadband internet. Additionally, the bill ensured that North Carolina was made eligible for its fair share of Army Corps funding for hurricane and storm damage, flood mitigation funding, and airport improvement projects.
We’ve already begun to see the real-life impacts of BIL funding. In February of this year, Senator Tillis announced $41.8 million for clean water upgrades from the EPA, authorized through the bipartisan law. This funding will be used to modernize our state’s water infrastructure system, create well-paying jobs, and overall help underserved communities. The North Carolina DEQ has announced new lead service line replacement funding to deliver resources that will identify, remove, and replace lead pipes from cities and towns across the state – all thanks to BIL funding.
More tangible steps have also been taken. As of March of this year, hundreds of projects had been announced as a result of the law. The RAISE program was also able to award more grants to help project sponsors complete critical transportation infrastructure projects. Not to mention, our airports received an estimated $303.2 million in funding to modernize the facilities we all use to fly to vacation destinations, business trips, or see loved ones.
My district, in particular, has benefitted from this important law. For example, Union County was allocated upwards of $25 million in funds to install or upgrade highways, bridges, and pedestrian accesses, among other projects that will greatly improve the safety and attractiveness of our community.
The best news of it all is that these improvements were funded in a responsible way without raising taxes on hardworking Americans. By using unspent COVID-19 recovery funding and unemployment insurance, lawmakers were able to guarantee that taxpayers wouldn’t saddle any burden of a law authorizing nearly $1.2 trillion in funding. The final legislation was bipartisan and didn’t include any special-interest pet projects that would have only cost Americans.
Strong and safe highways, bridges, airports, and other transportation mechanisms are critical to the livelihood of the American people and, if done right, improvements to this infrastructure can also create jobs and boost the economy. The bipartisan group of lawmakers that passed this legislation two years ago understood the assignment, and thanks to their efforts, North Carolina and communities throughout the country are set up to flourish for years to come.
Todd Johnson serves as a member of the North Carolina State Senate, representing District 35.
